With the rising importance of central administration in Egypt a new class of educated scribes and officials arose who were granted estates by the king in payment for their services. Kings also made land grants to their mortuary cults and local temples, to ensure that these institutions had the resources to worship the king after his death. Scholars believe that five centuries of these practices slowly eroded the economic vitality of Egypt, and that the economy could no longer afford to support a large centralized administration. [28] As the power of the kings diminished, regional governors called nomarchs began to challenge the supremacy of the office of king. This, coupled with
severe droughts between 2200 and 2150 BC, [29] is believed to have caused the country to enter the 140-year period of famine and strife known as the First Intermediate Period.
